Bending Plexiglass, Line Bending Plexiglass

Flame Polishing Plexiglass

Drilling Plexiglass, How To Drill Plexiglass

 One of the common plastic fabrication questions we get is how to drill plexiglass (acrylic) and not chip it or crack it. Tooling and technique. There are specially made bits for drilling  plexiglass sheet. The most obvious difference is the tip angle, see the attached photo. There are many other differences in the plexiglass drill bit geometry over standard drills. If you want to try to grind your own, check out the fabrication manuals link. There is a manual on drilling that breaks down the geometry. For the rest of us, just buy a plexiglass drill, they're cheap. Onsrud is a top manufacturer of plastic tooling. They make great tooling for plexiglass (acrylic) and most other types of plastics and composites and you can buy online.
 Once you have the proper acrylic drill bit it's pretty simple. When possible try to clamp the sheet firmly and backup the piece being drilled with a piece of scrape plexiglass sheet or mdf. This helps prevent chipping or blowing out the hole when you penetrate the back side. At this point drilling the plexiglass sheet is easy.  Go slow starting your hole and when breaking through the backside. On thicker plexiglass sheets, do peck drilling to remove the chips and cool the drill. If you are having melting problems try blasting compressed air at the point of drilling. You can also use wax, mineral oil or some other lubricant that is plastic safe. Good luck!

Cutting Acrylic Sheet with a table router

Cutting Acrylic, Cutting Plexiglass - Table Routing

Part 3
Using a table router is one of the best methods for cutting acrylic sheet. It’s also a much more versatile method for cutting and generally produces good edge quality. There’s a video on this blog of someone using a table router to trim some acrylic parts. The router bit he’s using has a bearing on it that rides against the part while the excess is trimmed away. This method also works great for cutting when you already have a template of the shape you want to cut. Use double sided tape to secure your template to the acrylic sheet and cut your part. For straight cuts, set up a fence to ensure straight line cutting. Table routers are wonderful for doing edge details such as beveling and bullnosing. Router bits for wood work just fine for plexiglass or acrylic sheet. Cutting is done in the conventional direction, that is, the blade is turning towards the material feed. Just like when cutting acrylic with a saw, use a sharp tool. Don’t use a bit you have been using to cut wood and expect a great edge quality. Larger diameter bits (1/2”) produce better cut quality than smaller diameters. The general rule is to run as high an rpm as possible, however on bits with a diameter over 1” always check what the manufacturer recommends. And never forget to practice good safety.

How To Cut Acrylic Sheet With A Table Saw